The present invention relates in general to medical instrumentation. More particularly, the present invention relates to a surgical instrumentation system that enables the interchange of any one of a number of different surgical instruments at an operative site.
In open surgery a surgeon uses a variety of different surgical implements with the total number that are used being a function of the particular operation being performed. For the most part these instruments or implements are hand held devices directly held and manipulated by the surgeon through the open incision. Typical surgical instruments include forceps, needle drivers, scissors, scalpels, etc. A number of different instruments or implements may be used during an operation depending upon the complexity of the medical procedure being performed, and even a greater number of instrument exchanges occur. Thus, a great deal of time may be spent during the surgery simply in exchanging between different types of instruments.
In minimally invasive surgery (MIS) there is likewise a requirement, depending upon the particular surgical procedure, to exchange instruments or implements during a medical procedure. The primary difference in minimally invasive surgery is that the incision or incisions are relatively small, typically 5 mm to 10 mm in diameter, in comparison to open surgery. Also, in current MIS instrumentation, such instruments as forceps, scissors, etc., are inserted into the body at the end of long slender push rods actuated by the surgeon from outside the patient. Due to the size and increased complexity of these instruments it may be even more difficult to carry out an exchange due to the need to extract and re-insert through a relatively small incision.
Both open and MIS procedures involve control of the instrument directly by the human hand. In the case of open surgery, of course, the surgeon directly holds and manipulates the instrument, while in MIS the operable tool (scalpel, scissors, etc.) is controlled by hand, but through some type of mechanical transmission that intercouples from outside the patient to an internal operative site.
In more recent years computer control of instrumentation systems has come into being, typically referred to as robotic surgical systems, in which a surgeon controls an instrument carrying an end effector from a remote site, and through an electronic controller or the like. These robotic systems do provide an improvement in the dexterity with which medical procedures can be performed. However, even in these more advanced systems there is still a need to manually exchange instruments during a procedure.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a system and associated method for the ready exchange or interchange between a plurality of different instruments at an operative site, whether it be in connection with open, MIS, robotic, or other types of surgical systems, apparatus, or procedures.